JEFFERSONVILLE — Togetherness was Jeffersonville's most significant product of 2016, despite some of the city's more obvious accomplishments, Mayor Mike Moore said in his annual State of the City Address on Tuesday.
"2016 marked the beginning of a new era in Jeffersonville," Moore told members of the Jeffersonville Rotary Club at Indiana American Water on Middle Road. "For the first time since becoming mayor of this awesome city, I saw what can happen when everyone is working together toward the common goal of simply making life better for the people of Jeffersonville."
Last year was the first for a new city council, which saw turnover of five of its nine seats in the November 2015 municipal election. It was also the first year that both the council and mayor have agreed largely on administrative and legislative issues.
"It's refreshing to work with people whose true motivations are working together to do right and be better," Moore said.
But Moore also relayed the message of "One Jeffersonville" — that togetherness is shared by the city and its residents as a whole, all working for the common good.
"Once before, I described the bridges rising out of the Ohio River on our east and west ends as bookends to our city," he said. "And that's what they are; bookends, holding us together. But what lies between the strength of those bridges is the big story; our stories ... the story of Jeffersonville. And that story is still being written by every one of us, every day."
Much of the mayor's speech served as an annual progress update on businesses, neighborhoods and government. He grouped his goals into five areas:
• Improving quality of life
• Protecting neighborhoods
• Growing the local economy
• Keeping the city fiscally strong
• Planning for the future
Growth has always been a central theme of Moore's addresses, as Jeffersonville is at the crux of commercial and residential expansions.
This year, the mayor highlighted the city's $36 million planned infrastructure improvements.
"The city is doing its part to keep up with the growth coming to Jeffersonville," Moore said. "We completed an inventory of the city's roads and streets to figure out where people are going and how we can get them there easier."
The 10th Street widening project, which will add a center turning lane, will be completed by the end of next year, Moore announced. It was one of the original projects Moore proposed near the beginning of his first term.
Plans are also underway for improvements to Holman Lane, including a turning lane and sidewalks, as well as Veterans Parkway and other roads.
"One of the things I'm so proud of is the addition of sidewalks on Allison Lane," Moore said. "I can't tell you how many people in that area told me over the last couple of years, 'please give us sidewalks.'"
Moore touched on growth in the east end of Jeffersonville, particularly planned commercial developments on the way.
The mayor also focused on residential growth, an area to which city officials recently have shifted more attention. The planning and zoning department is fine-tuning new zoning regulations meant to accommodate more residents in an urban setting.
A citizen board called the Commission on Sensible Growth and Development was just formed to "ensure residents and property owners aren't overlooked" by zoning codes, Moore said.
He touted the addition of several new companies, claiming 6,000 new jobs that have been created during his administration. Some notable businesses include POSCO, a South Korean steel company that announced expansion at the Port of Indiana-Jeffersonville, and Enjoy Life Foods at River Ridge Commerce Center.
Downtown Jeffersonville continues its "renaissance," Moore said.
"It's going to be another exciting spring and summer in downtown Jeffersonville," he said. "Hundreds of thousands of people have already walked across the Big Four Bridge and have been pleasantly surprised by what's waiting on this side. But there's so much more to come."
New eateries like Portage House and Parlour have opened in the area. Jeffersonville also landed Abbey Road on the River, the world's largest Beatles festival, which will be making its Southern Indiana debut during Memorial Weekend.
Moore also announced a $1 million grant from the Clark-Floyd Counties Convention and Tourism Bureau that will fund projects in Jeffersonville's Arts and Culture District, encompassing 10 blocks north of Court Avenue.
He concluded his address by looking ahead to the future.
" ... 2016 taught us that our future is the brightest when we are one Jeffersonville coming together to make life better for everyone," Moore said.